To Do What You've Never Done - Part 2 - Fighting A Losing Battle
by Bramblemask973
Summary: Part 2 of TDWYND. Read Part 1 first
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The lair was silent tonight, save for the quiet tapping of fingers on a keyboard. They would stop for a moment, and the silence would continue, until the tapping started up again. It had only been two days since the not-so-successful hunt in the tunnels, and the effects of their findings were still heavy on the family. Splinter would meditate for hours on end, and for the beginning of it, Leo would join him, but now he set himself to helping Donnie with his own search.

Mikey's shoulder was healing nicely, and it didn't need bandages anymore. But the stitches were still there, plain against his skin. Donatello had a wonderful time trying to pin Michelangelo down so he _could_ stitch up the wound, but with the bribe of pizza and a new T-Pod, he gave in. Donnie was thankful the wound hadn't gotten infected. That would've meant a lot more work and a lot more worry.

The youngest brother was doing his best to keep the spirits high. In fact, he was doing everything he could. When his water balloon attacks failed, he tried video games, movie parties, skateboard invites, and even willingly messing around at his own expense just to get a laugh.

Even though the last one had worked, Mikey went to the next level, which gave everyone a shock. He would join Leo in meditating (or tried to, considering meditation wasn't his forte. Donnie had been surprised that he had managed to get to the point where he could stay just under an hour meditating with Leo,) and sparring. He'd offer to help Donnie in his lab, trying his hardest to understand what Donnie was talking about, most often failing. But he tried. He'd started showing April his comics and action figures, teaching her all the secrets to his video games and twice now he'd made Splinter tea without being asked.

They were small things, yes, but Mikey was determined. So far, his own personal mission was a success. Everybody was holding together nicely, and because of it, Donnie was able to concentrate on working. He hadn't slept since they'd found Raph in the tunnel, and he didn't think he would be sleeping tonight. His fingers tapped furiously on the keyboard, trying to find something… anything.

So far, the only thing that could help him was the stuff he found on amnesia. Types, symptoms, cures. Donnie pulled up a site on the two different types of amnesia. He suspected what Raph had was retrograde. He was just unable to retrieve old memories. Donnie scrolled down and sighed. There wasn't really a cure for amnesia, either than trying to tell him who he really was and get him to remember. Hopefully his memory would come back on his own, but… It didn't seem likely.

Another large blow to the head might do the trick… But he really didn't want to do that. That could just cause more damage and Raph could lose his ability to form memories at all. And the way Raph's head was, he didn't want to do any more damage. Who knows what could happen. If he hit the wrong spot, Raph could-

"Donatello?"

Donnie yelped and nearly fell out of his chair at the sound of his name. He did smack his arm on the table and rubbed it, looking up to see who had interrupted him. Master Splinter walked into his room, not bothering to turn on the light. His hands, as usual, were behind his back, and a stern look was on his face.

"What are you doing up so late?"

There was no lying to Master Splinter. Donnie slowly turned his laptop so he could see the pages he had open.

"I'm trying to find stuff. Stuff to help us find Raph."

Splinter narrowed his eyes and looked over the screen, then to his son.

"When was the last time you slept?"

Just like earlier, there was no lying to Master Splinter. Not at three in the morning, anyways. Donnie rubbed the back of his neck and looked away.

"Um… two days?"

Splinter nodded. He reached forward and gently closed the laptop lid, leaving the hallway as the only light source. Donnie watched silently as his Sensei pushed the laptop back onto his desk and looked back up at his father's brown eyes as a hand was placed on his shoulder. Splinter looked both like the stern teacher and the concerned father he was.

"Donatello, I know you are worried about your brother, and I know you will find a way to bring him back. But just as much as you search, you need to sleep. You cannot keep on in this fashion. It will be easier to focus on your task ahead if you are prepared for it, and are not burdened by fatigue."

Donnie opened his mouth to protest, but instead of words, out came a yawn and Splinter gave him a look. The 'you-know-I'm-right' look. The look that told Donnie he couldn't fight against it, so he just sighed and dipped his head.

"Hai, Sensei."

Splinter straightened up, nodding towards Donnie's room. Obediently, the teenager got to his feet and reached for his laptop, but turned away from it at a stern look from his father.

"If you are on this device again tonight, you will be cleaning the lair on your own. All bedrooms included."

Donnie's eyes went wide and he scurried off to his room, his father giving him a small smile and nod before turning away himself. Splinter wasn't messing around this time. The lair, with all of the rooms included, was huge, and Mikey's room had to be the worst of it all. He wasn't gonna take the chance. Donnie closed his bedroom door and after a few minutes heard the door to Splinter's room gently close. With a small sigh, Donnie flopped down onto his bed.

To tell the truth, they were getting nowhere. They had no clues as to where Raph would have gone. They were no closer _whatsoever_ to finding him and fixing it. Fixing all of this.

Donnie glared at the ceiling and gave himself a mental slap.

_It's only been two days. Three since he left. Nothing this big ever solves itself that fast. We can do this. We just have to keep searching._

Well, the self-pep-talk helped a little. Donnie smiled a little. Yeah. They could do this. They'd taken down everything else that ran into their path. They could find this, and they would solve it. They always did.

Now he was starting to feel exactly how soft and comfy his bed was, and he noticed sleep starting to tug at him. Maybe a few hours couldn't hurt. After all, it wasn't like he had much to do otherwise. Until they found something. And they weren't gonna find anything with everybody asleep and at two a.m. No. A few hours couldn't hurt.

Donnie sat up and undid his mask, placing it on his bedside table. His lab might have been a mess, but hid bedroom was neat and ordered. It was kinda strange, but it worked. Soon, all of his gear was placed into a neat pile on the floor and Donnie crawled into bed, pulling the sheets up to his neck.

_Yeah. We just need to keep searching._

* * *

_**Okay! I know you guys are waiting for an update, I am so sorry for not being on time, but I kinda got grounded from my laptop for a week and I can't post on my iPod. I promise it'll be up next week, and if I can get it done, you guys'll get a few chapters extra as well! So hang in there, people, it's coming!**_

_**Don't worry. I haven't forgotten. Or quit.**_

_**~Brambles**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry for the wait, you guys! I got grounded from my computer and my grades in school are low. Not the best chapter I've ever done, but it works for now.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Chapter 2

If you searched every building in New York City from top to bottom, you wouldn't find them. You could narrow it down to the churches, and search every single one, but you would never find them. Perhaps it's because that everyone who steps an inch inside the building is recruited to be a soldier. Perhaps it's just one of those ninja things. Then again, perhaps it's because nobody ever expects the bad guy to have his base in a _church_, so nobody ever goes looking.

Whichever reason it is, the Foot have yet to be discovered by anyone. Any _normal_ human being, anyway.

Mutants on the other hand… Not so much.

"How long is this going to take, Rat?"

"It's Rat _King_, thank you. And not long. He is almost here."

"Your petty name preference has no interest to me. Only your debt."

The Rat King let go of a quiet and rather disturbing chuckle and nodded towards the entrance to the room. His blind eyes held a strange light, but to the man seated beside him, it meant nothing. What _did_ was the next phrase.

"That is paid as of now, Shredder. He is here."

The Shredder turned his cold eyes towards the large door that was now being opened. Immediately, his hand tensed on his throne's arm as the unmistakable green skin of his tormentors entered the light. He stood, holding up a hand before his henchmen could lunge at the creature. Xever and Bradford both looked up at him hesitantly, but Shredder shook his head and waved his hand for them to back off.

Karai was standing at the bottom of the steps to her father's throne, hidden in the shadows. She had her arms crossed over her chest and leaned against the wall, looking quite amused. The turtle walked in, dragging a single ninja by the collar of his tunic. The girl almost laughed as Raphael looked up at the Shredder, down at the ninja in his hand and back up to the Shredder's cold gaze.

"Uh… Was this _supposed_ to stay at the door?"

The Shredder said nothing. Raph shrugged and dropped the Foot soldier, watching the defeated human be dragged out of sight by two comrades. He watched them go and then looked back up to the Rat King and Shredder. Raph crossed his arms, his eyes turning into a glare. Not an angry glare. Just… suspicious.

"Alright. So what a-Hey, I know you!"

Karai's eyes widened as Raph noticed her lurking in the shadows. He stared at her for a second, and then his eyes narrowed angrily. He stomped over to her, his hand clenching into a fist. Karai raised an eyebrow, but felt one hand edge back towards her sword. Her hand relaxed as Raph stopped in front of her, crossed his arms and smirked. Karai's eyebrow shifted higher. What was he do-?

_CRACK!_

The blow came so fast and so unexpectedly that Karai was shocked. Pain hit her entire bottom jaw and she snapped her head around. Raph was already back to his crossed arm stance, but his hand was now relaxed. He glared at her.

"That's for stealing my pineapple."

All eyes in the room stared at him in surprise and extreme confusion. Shredder looked over at the Rat King. Rat King didn't turn his head.

"The blow to his head was hard enough to erase his memories from that point back. He remembers nothing. I admit, his mind isn't exactly _settled_ at the moment, but that will heal in time."

The Shredder didn't say anything, but narrowed his dark eyes. The Rat King didn't faze.

"My debt is paid. He is yours."

After a long moment, the Shredder gave a single, small nod, and the Rat King walked down the steps, past Raph and Karai and stopping in the doorway. He could feel all eyes on him, although he couldn't see them. Rat King turned his head and smirked.

"Raphael."

Raph snapped his head up from where he and Karai were trying to beat each other's nose until they bled. He backed off of Karai and looked at the Rat King, tipping his head. He was a bit confused. Where was this guy going? He thought he was staying here. The Rat King didn't turn around.

"Stay here. He is your teacher now."

With that said, the Rat King vanished into the darkness of the hallway, leaving Raph to stand there in confusion, and then shrug.

"Okay. So what-_OW_!"

He jumped back as Karai landed a hardy punch to his cheek, making it sting. Raph glared at her and pulled his fist back to deliver a blow in retaliation, but both teenagers froze as Shredder flicked out the blades from his gauntlet and growled.

"_Enough_."

Karai skittered away from Raph in a flash, going back to stand in the shadows with a glare in her amber eyes. Raph glared back at her with equal loathing and uncurled his fist, looking back up at the really spikey man above him.

_Spikey… Huh._ Raph gently shook his head to clear the sense of déjà vu from his mind and turned his glare to Shredder. The Shredder didn't shift the blades and stepped down onto the floor, stopping a few feet away from Raph. The turtle didn't budge, or lessen his angered gaze. The Shredder growled again.

"Kneel."

Raph smirked and shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't kneel. You want someone to kneel, get like a circus pony or something. They kneel."

The Shredder narrowed his eyes and snapped his arm around, making Raph flinch in surprise as he found the blades an inch from his eye.

"You _will_ kneel, turtle."

"My name is _Raphael_, thanks. And, no."

In the shadows, Karai was watching the scene with a strange glint in her eyes. There was something here that didn't make sense. Sure, the Rat King had said his memory was lost and that he didn't know anything of the others. But why was he still so defiant? Shouldn't he be a little out of it? Shouldn't he be obeying? But then her father flicked his hand and Karai grinned.

Raph yelped as out of nowhere, the kunoichi lunged at him, whipping out her sword and slicing at him. He ducked away from the blade, eyes wide, and felt Karai swish behind him. Her foot connected with the back of his knees and he went down hard. Karai grabbed his wrist and bent it behind his shell, holding him still as Raph growled. The Shredder retracted the blades.

"Well done. You will learn your place very fast, _Raphael_." His name was snarled with extreme disgust and loathing. Karai let go of his hands and Raph stood up, rubbing his wrist and glaring back at her. The Shredder looked up and nodded, granting Xever and Bradford permission to come forward.

Without a word, Raph climbed to his feet and found the huge mutant fish standing between him and the Shredder, and the giant dog on the other side. They didn't say a word but 'escorted' him out of the room. Raph glanced back at the Shredder and Karai. Karai was smirking.

"See you in a few days."

_Days?_

The two mutants led him down a hallway and then down a long staircase. Down and down and down. Finally, after what seemed to be about a thousand steps, the dog opened a door and glared at Raph. The turtle glared back and looked inside. The room was small, and concrete, and freaking cold on his feet. It was completely bare, save for a stain on the floor in one corner that looked a lot like blood.

Raph raised an eyebrow and looked back at Bradford.

"Is this supposed to be a _room_? It feels like a prison cell."

"That's because it is." The fish hissed and Raph gasped as his huge metal foot kicked him in the shell and sent him flying inside. Raph grunted as he smacked against the wall and looked up in confusion as the door closed and locked, leaving no light in the small cell whatsoever. Raph's mind reeled. The Rat King said _safety_. How was this _safe_?!

_What the shell is going on?!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…"

"Isn't she the _only_ girl you've ever seen?"

Brown eyes snapped over to Raph and then the other, taller turtle scoffed.

"My point still stands."

The sound of screeching tires made all four turtles look down. A white van tore down the street and around the corner, stopping in front of the man and the girl. The two humans stopped with cautious looks as the van doors opened and five goons jumped out. Four of them in tuxedos, and one just looked like an average slob. The orange haired girl clung to her father's arm with fear in her eyes while her father stood in front of her protectively as the goons advanced upon them.

"We gotta save 'em!"

The purple masked turtle gasped and moved to jump to their rescue. He was stopped by a hand holding his shoulder and Raph looked back as he spoke.

"Splinter's instructions were very clear. We're supposed to stay away from people. And bathrooms." He put his fists up to his chin in a sort of false mocking terror. Raph narrowed his eyes.

"I thought you wanted to be a hero. Since when do heroes ask for permission?"

"They don't, but-!"

"Well, I'm going!" The taller one snapped and leaped off of the roof, down into the street. It wasn't a second before both Raph and his youngest brother had jumped after him, leaving the eldest behind to figure out what he was doing. Raph landed in the street quietly, edging around behind the van and waiting. One of the four in tuxes tossed the man inside the van. He looked unconscious. Raph rolled his shoulders and pulled back his fist.

"Hey!"

The goon looked over and Raph nailed him in the stomach, sending him back a few feet. The goon stayed bent over for a moment, but then straightened up, strangely emotionless. Raph glared at him.

"Still standin', huh?" A quick flick and twirl and his sai were in his hands, ready. He could hear the fighting of his brothers going on behind him. "I'll fix that."

Before he could jump forward and stab his sai into the guy's face, the nameless blue masked turtle smacked into him. Raph stepped back as the goon fighting him followed.

"Watch it!" Blue snapped.

"You watch it!" Raph retorted, watching his brother jump over the goon and away. He looked up again and jumped back in time to avoid the fist. The Tux's fist smashed into the ground, making the asphalt crack and crumble, but not an ounce of pain registered on his face. Another fist came at him and Raph blocked it, quickly hand springing backwards. He landed and felt another shell shove up and bonk into his own, and he glanced over to the purple turtle.

"Watch it, Donnie!"

Raph jumped away again, luring Tux towards him. He brought his sai back to deal a blow but found the prong caught in the chain of his brother's nunchucks. He pulled against it and pulled it loose just as the goon swiped towards him. Raph rolled beneath his arm and skidded around to the other side, scraping the prong of his sai on the asphalt. He brought both of his weapons up in front of him and leaped into the fight once more.

The goon swiped at him again, and then he turned his back for a moment, focusing on another turtle. Raph took the chance and leaped behind him, aiming to take him out with a swipe of his sai. A sudden and not really painful jolt went through his shell and Raph looked back, seeing his older brother's katanas stuck into his shell.

"What the-?"

A punch to the face sent him rolling to the side, and he heard the foot swinging towards him before he saw it. Raph jumped up, whirling his sai around and catching Tux's arm. He tugged at it, trying to send him over his shoulder, but after no budge came from the Tux dude, Raph glanced back with a glare.

"Oh, come _on_!"

He gasped as the fist pulled back again and this time hit him flat out in the face, sending him flying back onto the concrete. He blacked out for a moment, before opening his eyes with a groan and sitting up.

The concrete was still beneath him, and he felt as tired as ever, but there were no goons, no other turtles, no fight. Raph blinked and looked around for a few seconds before sighing. Only a dream. Felt more like a memory, though. A recollection. But how? He didn't know those people in the dream, and he couldn't even recall the turtles' names.

Wait a second. Yes, he could. Hadn't he called one of them by name?

_Donnie?_

The purple one. Donnie. Hadn't he been the one to call him his older brother back in the tunnel? Hadn't he been the one to claim that he was just what Falco wanted him to be? He was sure of it. A strange feeling hit his gut. Guilt? Regret? He couldn't tell, but he knew it was related to this Donnie kid.

And Falco. Donnie had mentioned Falco. Who was Falco? He couldn't recall that name either. It sparked an unpleasant feeling of anger inside. Why was he angry at someone he didn't know? The Rat King had said that his brothers were the ones who betrayed him. He hadn't mentioned a Falco. He said his brothers were the ones he was supposed to hate.

But what for? He didn't even know what they had done. He only knew what the Rat King told him. Raph sighed and stood up, looking around in the darkness. He couldn't see anything at all. Just darkness. Like blinding powder.

_FLASH_

The blue one again. Dropping down in front of him. White powder flying from his fist at the Shredder. A shot of pain going through one of Raph's eyes and a snap at the culprit.

Raph blinked as the memory snapped back. His eyes went wide. If he could remember that, what else could he figure out? Frantically he searched his mind for almost a half hour, trying to recall something else. Nothing. Nada. Zero. No new memories. No returning old ones. Raph sighed and rubbed his head, sitting back down after feeling his way back to the corner. He hadn't even meant to fall asleep. He just did.

But right now, sleep sounded nice. Maybe he could remember more if he dreamt again. Somehow, as much as he felt the hate driving around his mind at his once-been brothers, he had to ask himself… What had they even done? All he had was Rat King's word to go on. What had he done for them to hate him so much?

Raph rubbed his hand as an ache throbbed into it. He'd spent almost two hours trying to beat down the door. Needless to say, it didn't work. How his hands just hurt and there was a small dent in the door.

Dent. Raph narrowed his eyes. It was like he'd created a dent on the fog blocking his memory. He wanted to know what happened. Why would Rat King just dump him here? Seriously. This place was gross. Maybe he couldn't trust him like he'd thought he could.

_**Do not doubt me, Raphael.**_

_Oh. You're still here._

_**I never left.**_

_You gonna answer my questions?_

_**I do not feel the need. They are of no importance. You are here to serve a purpose. And then you will get the revenge I promised on your brothers. Patience, Raphael. **_

Raph sighed and leaned back against the wall. Patience. He had nothing to do. Nobody had been down here since he was tossed inside.

_**Then sleep. You will need it.**_

Okay, so the sleep thing actually sounded pretty nice. He was still tired from all of the fighting. Raph pulled his knees up to his plastron and rested his chin on them.

_Fine. But you better not be lying to me. I want what you promised. _

_**You will have it.**_

_**Sleep.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Sorry for the wait, guys! School and life have been kinda rough lately.**_

_**It's a short one, but its up!**_

* * *

Chapter 4

Leo sighed, bowing his head and admitting defeat. There was no way he was going to win this battle. His opponents were just too strong, too stubborn. Too determined to take him down. With one last remorseful glance, he laid down his arms, sheathed his katana and nodded. Outnumbered, outgunned, he had no choice.

There was just no way he was going to win against them.

Donatello was just too dang _stubborn_. And of course, Michelangelo teamed up with him. April didn't really take vote in the matter. Splinter had decided to take her out on a training exercise. If she was going to help them find Raph, she was going to have to know how to fight better than she did. They had Raph against them now, for whatever reason. And with Falco, who knew what was going to happen? So, April was out.

Leaving Leonardo on his own.

"Alright, fine. We'll go out and look again. But no longer than an hour."

Donnie made a little indignant sound of protest, but closed his mouth as Leo raised his hand to cut him off. Leo glared at him, an annoyance to rival their missing brother's. What? Someone had to pick up the slack. Not really. Leo's temper was just on the edge because now, he had to take care of his family. And he didn't have his other half to help him shoulder the weight.

Since Raph, his track record was getting hammered into the dust.

"One hour, Donnie."

"_Why_? We can barely do anything in an hour. We won't get far-"

Leo sighed and relaxed his glare, regaining his usual composure. Come on. He was Leonardo, the leader. He had to be calm, collected, and more importantly, patient. He knew where Donnie was coming from. An hour wasn't really that much. But right now, his overprotective brother mode was in charge, and he had his reasons.

And he knew Donnie did too. Donnie was worrying himself sick over this. Literally. Leo could tell by the dark marks under his eyes that he hadn't been sleeping well. He knew that Donnie blamed himself for Raph's disappearance. Leo wasn't as smart as Donatello, but he was smart enough to know the signs. Donnie knew that Falco was a big one for revenge, and naturally, it was him that had thwarted his plans. And to take out Donnie, Falco would've had to use the strength of the group. So it was his fault that he had gone after Raph first.

But it wasn't. And no matter what Leo told him, Donnie just _wouldn't accept that_. So, gentle Leo it was.

"Donnie. You're the resident genius. Think for a second! _You_ have a head injury and Mikey still has stitches. If it wasn't our brother that was out there, then I wouldn't be letting you go anyways. An hour is all you get tonight, until you two heal."

Donnie looked as if he was fighting a battle with himself. Probably was. But he couldn't deny what Leo said. After a few moments, Donnie sighed and nodded. Mikey looked at him in surprise, but didn't say anything. Donnie met Leo's eyes. Leo smiled and turned towards the stairs.

"Come on."

The sewers were dark and cold, as usual. The recent rainstorm they'd had last night had the waterways rushing torrents. But they would fade down in a few days. Mikey kept bouncing ahead to peer around corners and would hop back to them, but he still didn't say anything. Strange, but acceptable. They walked in silence for a few blocks, but then Leo suddenly perked up. He snapped his gaze over to Donnie, gaining both his brothers' attention.

"You still have your radar set up, right?"

Donnie shrugged and nodded, looking a bit confused.

"I haven't taken it down since I made it. A few weird readings out over by Central Park, but they didn't seem anything like him or the Foot."

Leo shook his head, stopping. A strange, giddy, excited feeling washed over him.

"No, no, no, I don't mean for them. What if we set it up down here?"

Mikey gave Leo a weird look.

"Down here?"

Leo nodded, looking back to Donnie. His heart was racing with the sudden idea. There was a chance.

"Down here, in the tunnels. Falco controls the rats, right?"

There was nothing that could measure up to the astonishment and hope in those chocolate-brown eyes as Donnie realized what Leo was getting at. Quickly he looked away, muttering under his breath and counting stuff out on his fingers, both of his brothers watching him curiously. Finally Donnie grinned and looked back up.

"That might just work."

"What might work?" Mikey piped up. Donnie turned to him, the excited look in Leo's eyes switching to Donnie's.

"If I can set my radar to detect the rats and set off whenever a rat passes by, then we can track their movements by using the multiple radars lining the tunnels." Donnie explained, half to himself. "They'll lead us straight to Falco! Yes, yes, it's perfect! If we find Falco, then…" Donnie looked up to Leo, a new light in his eyes. Leo grinned and looked to Mikey, who was still looking confused.

"If we use the rats, we find Falco. If we find Falco, we find Raph. And if we find Raph…"

Mikey perked up, grinning as he understood.

"We find the hidden treasure at the end of the rainbow?!"

Spoke too soon.

Leo sighed and shook his head, shooting Donnie a look.

"No, Mikey. If we find Raph, then we can help him and get him back to normal. And then we have our brother back."

"And _then_ we find the treasure."

"No, Mikey."

"But I had the Lucky Charms and everything!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The _tmp tmp tmp_ of April's shoes on the floor echoed against the walls of the lair as she walked in. It wasn't usually this quiet, but with the search for Raph going on and trying to figure out how to get him back, nobody really wanted to mess around as much. They could all go and be teenagers when they had their brother back. Mikey wasn't pulling as many pranks as he used to. He still did, but the water balloons hadn't been seen for a day or two now.

That was the biggest sign that something was wrong in their small family. It made April sad to think that her once-fun-loving-brothers were now so serious all of the time. But she couldn't blame them. She knew what it was like to be missing someone close. There isn't a lot that hurts more than losing a family member. Even more when you know there's a possibility you can get them back.

So, with all of the silence and seriousness, she wasn't expecting the green and orange bullet to shoot out of the kitchen and crash into her as she went to push the curtain aside. April yelped as Mikey hit her flat out and tackled her onto the ground, curling around her with his shell to the kitchen. April cringed as a loud explosion burst from behind the curtain, and a few metal shards flew out and tinkled around her.

Mikey looked behind him and, once he was confident that no other flying metal objects would come and try to slice his sister to pieces, grinned and got to his feet. He took April's hands and pulled her back to hers.

"Hey, April!"

Smoke billowed out from above the curtain, but it vanished again into the air rather quickly. April shot Mikey a look and he winced and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Sorry for tackling you and all."

"What just happened?"

Mikey started walking back into the kitchen, with April following behind. The way Splinter had been training her this evening made her sure she'd be sore in the morning. But now, she was sure she would have bruises for a while. Mikey pulled the curtain aside to reveal a charred Donnie sitting at the table, working on some sort of little machine, and Leo reappearing from where he'd taken cover on the other side.

"Donnie's fixing his radar plates." Leo explained. He stood up and dusted himself off, glancing back at Donnie. "We're gonna track the rats to find the Rat King's lair and Raph."

Donnie looked up and pushed his goggles up his head. His eyes were the only thing that wasn't tinged black from the blast.

"Not exactly tracking the _rats_." He stood up and motioned April over to the table, where she looked at the sorry-looking radar dish without a word. Donnie pointing to the array of wires on the one side. "I'm rewiring the radar's configuration to detect the rat's movements. I can't exactly put a tracker on a rat if I don't have one, and lately, Falco's been keeping them away from the lair for good reason. But this way, we'll be able to track the rats and their moving patterns, and hopefully, we can figure out the path to Falco's lair. He isn't in the same one as last time. We checked."

April tilted her head for a moment, not saying a word. Donnie fidgeted a bit and then sat down again, picking up the tweezers he had been using to reset the wires. His tongue stuck out of his mouth a bit and he pulled his safety goggles back down over his eyes.

"What about the Mousers?" April asked suddenly. All three pairs of eyes turned to look at her, and April nodded towards the radar dish. "Why not attach the radar dish to a Mouser? Then you could have a tracker. And it would follow the rats all the way to the lair, so you only needed to find one rat that's headed the right way."

Donnie blinked and then looked back down to his radar dish, his face contorted as he thought. Leo, on the other hand, looked concerned.

"But we don't have any Mousers and an attack on the Foot to get one is not a good idea. Something might go wrong."

_Well, that's one plan scratched off of the li-_

"We won't have to." Donnie spoke up suddenly. He looked up at them, a little light sparked up in his eyes. "We just go to Baxter's old warehouse. There should still be Mouser scraps there. I can fix it up and it'll be fine. Then we just follow the rats."

"Unless he hasn't really abandoned the warehouse and Dogpound or Fishface are still there guarding it." Leo retorted instantly. "We go in and we would walk right into an ambush. I'm not taking that chance, Donatello." April looked over at Leo as he called upon the Power-of-Full-Names. He was serious. Quickly, April raised a hand to stop the argument.

"Why don't we just use Metalhead? If the Mousers are that bad…"

Donnie shook his head and got up from his chair, walking to one of the cupboards and searching through it for something.

"He's too noisy and bulky. We need something that can go in deep, and follow the rats."

"Another SpyRoach?" Leo offered. Once again, Donnie shook his head.

"The rat'll eat him."

Donnie pulled a small bottle of pills down from the cupboard. Beside April, Mikey tipped his head.

"What're those for?"

"I've got a headache." Donnie replied and opened the bottle, shaking two of them out onto his palm. April smiled gently. Donnie always got headaches when he was thinking too hard and overworking himself. And by the tired look in his eyes, he was. But they all knew he wasn't going to sleep if there was something he could do. Leo could yell at him to make him sleep later, when everyone was actually supposed to go to bed.

Donnie swallowed the pills quickly, and then went back over to the table with a strange worried look in his eye. April sighed gently. They were all worrying about Raph so much that it was literally wearing them down.

As Donnie sat down, April noticed Leo shift his gaze towards his brother. Leo looked as if he was deep in thought, with worry on his face too, but he was looking at Donnie like he couldn't quite place something. April shrugged it off. He was probably thinking about their plans. And she was right, because after a moment, Leo sighed and nodded.

"Alright."

Donnie snapped his eyes up to him, looking hopeful. Leo met his eyes and nodded again.

"We'll go to Sparkman's warehouse and get the scrap Mousers. A single sign of any enemy and we're right back here. You guys are not ready for a fight yet."

A small moan came from Mikey.

"Leooooo, I'm _fine_. See? It's all sewed up and everything!"

Leo's glare quickly quieted him down.

"No, Mikey. That shoulder's going to slow you down. If we see any Foot, it's retreat right away. Got it?"

Both youngest brothers sighed and nodded, and Leo looked up to April. He opened his mouth with a bit of a hurt look on his face, but April steeled her shoulders and raised a hand to stop him. There was _no way_ she was staying behind. They needed help, and if Donnie overworked himself again and passed out because of his head condition, they would need her to help back them up if Leo had to carry him back. Mikey would be able to defend them against the Foot on his own.

"Don't. Even. Say it. I am _not_ staying behind, Leo, and you can't make me."

Leo groaned and ran his hand over his head.

"April, you're not-"

"I am plenty ready, Leonardo." April replied stubbornly. It was her turn to pull on the Power-of-Full-Names. And it worked, because Leo looked up at her in surprise. April glared at him. "I was absolutely fine taking on the Foot last time. I took on Dogpound and look at me now."

"That was a stupid idea then and it's still a bad idea now-"

"No, Leo. I'm coming with you guys."

Leo's eyes bounced between both of hers, reading them for anything he could tell her that she had to stay behind. She wasn't showing any fear or worry at all. Leo nodded and April smiled. He knew that she was serious. April walked out into the living room and picked up her backpack from behind the TV.

"What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!"


End file.
